Promotional poster for the Netflix drama series "This Ridiculous Romance." [Netflix]
Promotional poster for the Netflix drama series "This Ridiculous Romance." [Netflix]

"This Ridiculous Romance," the Netflix drama series starring Jung Hae-in and Ha Young, topped the platform's non-English TV show chart in its second week of release.

According to Netflix's official Top 10 tracker Tudum, the series logged 7.5 million views — measured as total viewing hours divided by runtime — worldwide from Aug. 10 to Aug. 16, claiming the No. 1 spot in the non-English TV category.

The series launched globally on Netflix on Aug. 7, debuting at No. 5 among non-English shows in its first week before reaching the top position just two weeks in.

It ranked No. 1 in 26 countries, including South Korea, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Indonesia, and broke into the top 10 in 68 countries.

"This Ridiculous Romance" is a romantic comedy following an amnesiac prosecutor and a former gangster-turned-boxing coach who claims to be her boyfriend as the two share a rural life together. The show's blend of romance, comedy, action and noir has drawn viewers around the world.

Word of mouth around Jung — widely known as a "romance maestro" — along with praise for his performance and the show's storyline, has helped drive its growing momentum.

The series has not been without controversy, however. Co-lead Ha Young recently came under fire after remarks she made on a broadcast about her family's four-generation medical lineage prompted scrutiny over her great-grandfather's alleged pro-Japanese colonial collaboration, leading to the cancellation of cast interviews.

Earlier this month, Ha Young appeared on a variety program and described her family as a "four-generation medical family," saying her great-grandfather had opened the first Western medicine clinic in Hamyang. The appearance drew attention after it emerged that her great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho, who was reportedly active in Daejeong Chinmokhoe, a pro-Japanese fraternal organization during the colonial era.

Ha Young's agency initially issued a statement disputing the allegations as untrue, but Ha Young later posted a handwritten apology, saying she had "carelessly mentioned family history without properly knowing it."


betterj@heraldcorp.com